Majoranka
· 28 December 2012
· Chapter 12: Epilogue: The Memory of the Trees
Thank you for this sad and beautiful tale. I have always wondered about the impact of Legolas' sea-longing on Mirkwood and his family, and your story is one of the strongest and most thoughful ones that I have ever read. Moreover, it was very refreshing to read about Legolas as a married elf with a family of his own. It added a whole new depth to the the story.
Author's reply
Thank-you, Majoranka, it's a great surprise to see how stories are still out there and how readers are kind enough to stop by and say that you enjoyed, thanks! I've just returned to fanfic after a couple years, and it's a great encouragement. I'm particularly fond of this story, trying to see how the same things affect people diffferently and how we all react to suffering... Also, since I first read Lord of the Rings many many years ago for some reason I assumed that LEgolas had a family o his own, so when I started reading fanic and found that there were no stories in tha situation... kind of thought of giving my two cents, despite it not being the most popular backstory...
So I'm really grateful for your time and words, and happy that this long story entertained you. Thanks.
I am utterly amazed at the thought and planning that went into this delightful and insightful story! I find the political side of Mirkwood a nightmare, but you have managed it so very well, I applaud you.
I also am of the belief that Legolas could have been married, and this is the absolute best story I have read that captures that unusual perspective.
I look forward to reading more!
NiRi
Author's reply
Thank-you for taking the time, NiRi, it is always very encouraging hearing from a finished story... above all one that took such great pains to write! ;-)
I'm glad to hear that you share the possibility that Legolas could have been happily married. I always thought so, and since he is Elves are side characters in LOTR I wanted to take a look at the consequences of the arrival of the Age of Men upon the only elven realm that had survived without a Ring. The fate of LEgolas, and how it affected his people and family was what I wanted to explore, perhaps inspired by Bilbo's line " The Road goes ever on." ;-)
I'd love to read your impressions and/or critiques on the story, but, above all, I hope that you have a good time reading it.
Thanks again for dropping by.
perelleth
Idhreniel
· 15 November 2006
· Chapter 12: Epilogue: The Memory of the Trees
I just love the interaction between father and son here... Lovely to see them both just talking and fishinhg, without the troubles they used to have!
Author's reply
Thank-you Idhreniel, I'm glad that you liked the fishing day. One hopes that life in the Blessed Realm would be nice and easy for them, after all their troubles!
Bodkin
· 25 September 2006
· Chapter 12: Epilogue: The Memory of the Trees
I do think this is a gorgeous chapter. I love it that Thranduil is there for starters! And that he is so relaxed and at ease. Carting his son off for a day's fishing - and a type of fishing that is more for pleasure than food, too. Good of that fish to allow itself to be caught, so that he could sit back and put his feet up while Legolas paddles.
And I just love his words of wisdom and trees and species memory. It's simply lovely - and such a revelation! It's so logical. And that Legolas's sea-longing should be the stimulus that brought the Wood-elves home.
A very satisfying ending. And I hope they enjoy their retirement!
So - what's next??
Author's reply
Thank-you Bodkin!
As I told Daw in one reply, the story was actually about how Legolas' departure affected the only other canon character we know would have been deeply accepted, aka his father. SO the tale was, in a way, about Thranduil and his political and personal implications and reactions to the end of T.A.
Either the *bad* Thranduil theory was right, and Legolas was only too eager to flee Lasgalen, or his departure must have caused some pain to those remaining. And so I wanted to find *meaning* in suffering, so it kind of came up as just another step in a greater story.
I am glad that it made sense to you. I know you see it differently, but for myself, I have no trouble figuring the elves living peacefully for ever and ever in the Blessed Realm!
So - what's next?? Heh! museless as I am, I'd better start working in "someones's" birthday story!
Redheredh
· 20 September 2006
· Chapter 12: Epilogue: The Memory of the Trees
What a satisfying ending. Something good can arise from adversity - one of Tolkien's best lessons. There is a price for everything, too. So, be thankful for every gift you receive... The story may have seemed too long to you, but sagas are a very legitimate form of literature, thankyouverymuch. :D
Once you began to explain about how the trees remembered, I thought of the Fellowship in Hollin. :) I wonder now if Dwarves have the same kind of experience with stones.
But then, along with the interesting philosophical discussion, you tell a plain old-fashioned fish story! I loved that. Legolas' youthful enthusiasm there at the end is delightful!
Perhaps you need a respite after this tale. But, I sincerely hope that when you get back to work and back in the groove, that your muses poke you into a new endeavour. For I am selfish - I enjoy your stories so very much!
Thanks for writing this one!
Author's reply
Oh, thanks to you in a most special sense, since you've suffered it doubly! And you wre "forced" to go through a whole Legolas' tale! ;-) No, seriously, thanks to your kind support and help, Redheredh, I was totally insane to ask and you were truly helpful.
I wonder now if Dwarves have the same kind of experience with stones. LOLOL! If a wood elf can hear the stones of Eregion, I suspect a dwarf would,too, in a certain sense. (Another tale that has been sleeping in my hard disk for a year or so deals with that! ;-)
Something good can arise from adversity That is what I like in Tolkien, that, according to him, something good always comes out, even if you are not there to see it, or it takes a long time to show. It comforts me, and forces me to examine life under that light, and to hope that indeeed nonsense may have some sense some day in some way..;-)
Thank-you again. I am really glad that you liked it.
Nilmandra
· 20 September 2006
· Chapter 12: Epilogue: The Memory of the Trees
You really worked in some big themese well here - that all good things cost something, and all those on the Quest sacrificed something, Legolas included. I liked the idea that his going ahead paved the way for others of their people to come, that he merely led the way. In that sense, he was still on the Quest, perhaps, for he helped lead Middle-earth where it needed to go, then helped lead his people where they needed to go. Thranduil had a hard time seeing that the time of Men had come, but being wise and experienced, once he accepts it, he really accepts it! No turning back, no regrets. I like that. Its as it should be.
Author's reply
Thank-you, Nilmandra. As I told Daw, Bilbo's song "the road goes ever on" seemed the best explanation to me. It was not only the price, but the reward and the meaning of it all that was yet to come, so in a sense, Legolas' road did not end in Ithilien and after sailing, it seemed to me.
I suspect that most of the elves in Greenwood simply remained and faded, but I certainly needed to have Thranduil beyond the sea... ;-)
Thank-you again for following through.
French Pony
· 19 September 2006
· Chapter 12: Epilogue: The Memory of the Trees
Yay! What a wonderful story. And I loved the ending. It kind of reminded me of the times when my grandfather would take me out on the Lieutenant River or Uncas Pond and teach me to fish and row a boat, back when he could still pretend I was a boy. It's such a warm, golden, glowing, relaxing image to see these two hard-working, put-upon Elves finally beginning to unwind and enjoy their freedom.
And then Thranduil drops the bomb about the trees and their memories. Learning to listen that deeply to the trees sounds like a rewarding project that could take ages and ages. . . just the thing for Elves in Valinor looking for something to do with eternity.
I really enjoyed reading this story. It was well written, and a lot of fun.
Author's reply
Thank-you FP! It took so long to complete that you all deserve a medal!
back when he could still pretend I was a boy You make me laugh always. It was almost the same with my grandfather, except that *I* pretended to be a boy!
I have no problem picturing the elves contented with just living for ages and ages, and particularly Thranduil, ear-glued to a tree trying to hear the echoes of the Music! ;-) But while they tire of bliss, it was fun to share this respite with them and to grant them the knowledge of the meaning of their troubles! :-)
daw the minstrel
· 19 September 2006
· Chapter 12: Epilogue: The Memory of the Trees
I was thinking all through this about Tolkien's theme of paying the price, which many of the Fellowship did. And then you gave me that second to the last paragraph in which Legolas thinks about the good that came from his sea-longing, and I had to think a little differently. Lovely, Perelleth.
I don't think I want you to go back to work. I want you to write and chat with us forever. And yet I can see how your work informs what you write, so maybe you have to do it after all.
Author's reply
Wow, thank-you daw! You´ve made my month! ;-)
I wanted to explore the relationship of duty-price-reward-meaning for Legolas and Thranduil, because it was never too clear to me. And in the end, and given their long life-span, I thought that Bilbo's song "the road goes ever on" might be the key. The road was not ended for Legolas with going to Ithilien, there was some other purpose he still had to serve...and his reward was yet to come.
In this case, Legolas -and Thranduil's- feelings and losses were both personal and political, in the sense of the responisblities they both held before each other and the realm. I needed for them both to find meaning in the price and the loss and their own decisions.
Tolkien's fanfiction has helped me keep the distance with the nonsense that is my jobn, as well as providing me with endless entertainment and helped me discover a new world and wonderful friends, so I think I'll keep around as much as time allows... Thank-you again.
Bodkin
· 13 September 2006
· Chapter 11: ...Where the heart is
I am so glad that Thranduil recognised that the time had come and that he was fighting against something beyond even his capabilities. The death of the old lord of Dorwinion must have been a sign! Giving the power back to the forest - such a simple action and yet so deep and moving!
I like the way Mallereg got Laeriniel home for the decision - she really didn't want to give up, did she, even though she needed the reunion. Then the gradual packing up and leaving is right - painful though, choosing what to leave and what to take and the extended leave-taking with the forest and those who would not come.
The provision of ship-building plans - courtesy of Celeborn and by the hands of a hobbit - was a delightful touch! And sailing must, in the end, have been something of a relief. Decisions made. Action taken.
Lovely to see Legolas waiting impatiently for the ship to arrive - and his reunion with his wife. Which, I imagine, she will find healing in itself, let alone the peace that comes with having accepted at last their arrival 'home'.
Author's reply
Thank-you Bodkin! I too was relieved to see Thranduil leaving.!
Ten and eleven were a whole chapter, so Mallereg's little trick would have come out clearer for the reader, but it was so dense and packed that I was forced to split it in two...(my talent at editing being close to zero! ;-))
I gave them 30 years before moving up, time enough, maybe, for an elf to come to terms and to enjoy their favourite hauntings and say their goodbyes. As you say, once the decision is made, there is no hurry, just action, things that needed to be taken care fof and all. I enjoyed picturing their journey through the lands of the West, some of them had once crossed Eastwards.
The building plans came up as a joke from Celeborn's part, but the Fairbarns were there from the beginning. We are told that they were given the Guardianship of the Towers, -and of the Red book- and I enjoyed having them in, another of those races bound to disappear. I loved the image of the Elven king and the old hobbit, sitting on a bench and sharing a jug of young wine.
Redheredh
· 12 September 2006
· Chapter 11: ...Where the heart is
Heh! I so like Mallereg. ;) Although, he certainly took his time getting back for that long ago deceit! He is so lucky to already be well-acquainted with his soon-be-father-in-law.
I think what I like most about the first part of this chapter was the thoughtful way you had them take their leave. No rushing or skipping whole blocks of time nor forcing the journey to be swift and done without a sensible plan.
That was interesting having the Great Doors set up by dwarves, forever sealing off the caverns. And having the towers still inhabited by the hobbits. That idea was an especially well-done detail! I was quite impressed with how you used it. :D Not everyone picks up on stuff like that or handles a situation in so natural of a manner.
That includes the feeling of moving on and yet having come full-circle. Another nicely played up aspect of this chapter.
Their arrival in Aman was lovely. Very heart-felt through both Legolas and Laeriniel’s pov. Just how a long love story should end – happily ever after.
Anxious to read an epilogue now to know that that is true. There is an epilogue planned, right? You left it a wip, after all.
Author's reply
Although, he certainly took his time getting back for that long ago deceit! What are four hundred years for an elf? But a whisper, as Legolas says.. ;-)
I enjoyed the logistics involved in this chapter, and figuring out about the changes in the lands which they had once crossed on the opposite direction. They were not in a hurry, once the decision was made, so they had time enough for preparations and planning.
In the sketched backstory of Mirkwood for this tale, it was the Dwarves of Erebor ( long before the dragon came) who helped the elves carve their stronghold and the "magical" doors. They would build up the mechanism and, of course, then it would have been Thranduil to "set up" the scret password! The thing is that when Thranduil released his connection with the forest, the stones, too, would be unbound and so they would just come closed forever. A lost word and a lost world in a sense.
Yes, there is an Eplilogue written and waiting that I have a moment to proof read it. I believe it will come out this week end.
Thanks again, Redheredh!
Redheredh
· 12 September 2006
· Chapter 10: What future brings
Late as is usual lately, but finally here…
OK, so the rider was not Laeriniel. :( But, I still appreciate that you let her remain in Greenwood instead of making her leave the forest to follow her husband.
I liked the irony of the opening scene. First one kind of longing and now another - even if it is not as stressful as the first kind. I also like that you then contrasted that peacefulness with violence, restrained as it was. And of course, you always make Laeriniel and her family entertaining when together. ;)
Very nice getting Haldir to speak of Celeborn and his namesake while using their mutual connection of the mellyrn. ;) You bring in Tolkien-details so nicely. The memorial tree was touching. The ensuing discussions were very good and what an interesting gathering! A regular who's who of a family. I loved seeing the sea-bird's progeny carrying on in a continuing alliance with Ingil’s! Celeborn gazed at the Bird with wonder – ha!
You came back to the point, though, in the last conversation. Sea-longing and love-longing. One or the other would draw the remaining elves West. Tricksy, Valar.
Author's reply
You are most welcome, Redheredh, I know you are terribly busy, so take your time!
Each of us has her own idea, I think, regarding the end of the elves of Middle-earth. Seeing Tolkien's sources, I suspect he tended towards most of the wood elves refusing to sail and so doomed to fade slowly, thus giving origin to our fairy tales and legends. In this tale, I wanted to find a plausible reason for a last "great" migration of wood elves, and I thought it all depended on the leadership of their King.
I am not sure whether Laeriniel was right or rather stiubborn, not abandoning all for her husband, but that's how I pictured her: it took her time to understand her own heart and to brave the unknown.
I'm glad you liked it, and most thankful for your words! ;-)
Jay of Lasgalen
· 11 September 2006
· Chapter 11: ...Where the heart is
This was beautiful, sad and moving - so very melancholy. There were lots of lovely touches, from Thranduil's sorrow at finally admitting defeat and knowing he had to go, to deserted Imladris, and the wonderful Fairbairns.
The final reunion was perfect :)
Jay
Author's reply
Thank-you,Jay!
It was very entertaining to think how to move such a host across the western lands, and what things they would encounter. Imladris, the Old Forest, the Towers and the Fairbarns, the ruins of Mithlond...just to get distracted from the sorrow, :-) if Thranduil indeed sailed after all, it must have been a very difficult decision for him, I suspect.
I'm glad that you liked it.
daw the minstrel
· 10 September 2006
· Chapter 11: ...Where the heart is
Lovely chapter, Perelleth. The reunion at the end was so satisfying. But as always, Thranduil rules. He's being driven back, but in the end, he takes matters into his own hands and surrenders his tie to the forest. What a gap that must have left. And the stronghold! I hadn't thought about what would happen to it. This was great.
Author's reply
Thank-you, daw
This tale was born because I had always wondered about the effect of Legolas' lot at the end of the War upon his people and, mostly, upon his father. I suppose that to Thranduil it must have been very difficult to admit that, after all, those who had sailed were right, and that midle earth did not belong to elves anymore. And that must have required great doses of leadership and personal strength. In the end that is what I wanted to explore.
I'm tickled pink that you picked up the detail about the stronghold!;-) That's the kind of things that amuse me! I was wondering how it would turn out for archaelogists several centuries after that, and then came up with the conclusion that the "magic" would have kept water and roots from eating at it, but once the king is gone, it would all rot pretty quicky, until it resembled a common, primitive shelter.
Nilmandra
· 10 September 2006
· Chapter 11: ...Where the heart is
Oh, what a lovely reunion!
But first, I enjoyed the king and his counselor discussing things at the top of a tree! Very wood elfy. I like the way he gathered his people together and said it was time to go. The king would just *know*.
I loved that you included the hobbits at the towers! How appropriate that they would be the guardians. And I love how you had Celeborn leave a missive with the guardians rather than somehow attempt to send the information to Thranduil.. shipbuilding plans! Celeborn, helpful and thinking of his brethern to the very end.
The reunion was wonderful - I love the sense when Legolas and Laeriniel became one and whole again, but I tink what jolted me most wonderfully was the idea that Legoals was a grandfather!
Of all the takes I have seen on the wood elves sailing, this is the best. Very wood elfy to the end.
Author's reply
Thank-you, Nilmandra!
As FP said, given the long timespan of this tale, we get to see Legolas and Laeriniel reunited twice. I liked that this time it was he who was strong and hale, and could return her the favour
I'm glad it came out well in the end. I always wondered what would have moved Thranduil to finally set sail -if he indeed did, (I hope he did!) Four hundred years of thriving human neighbours would have been seriously felt in the forest. I thought there would be few births, since the resources would not be ensured (a nomadic population needs wide expanses just to avooid overuse, and they were competing with men) and temporary shortages, and all kind of warning signs, until the wise king would finally accept that his place was no longer in M-e.
It was fun to picture their parade through M-e. The guardianship of the towers given to the hobbits is canon, and I thought Celeborn would have amused himsef leaving "clues" for his friend, as well as involving the hobbits in the last great elven migration! :-)
Thank-you again for your kind support. This tale hasd been a serious pain to write!
French Pony
· 10 September 2006
· Chapter 11: ...Where the heart is
Thranduil is indeed a wise old Elf, to cast the decision to leave the forest in such a light. The Elves aren't defeated, they aren't giving up. They're going on to bigger and better things, seizing a chance to travel, see things, liberate the trees, and finally end up at home. It is a measure of the respect that his people have for him that they trust him so far. And, at least for Legolas and Laerîniel, their trust is most definitely rewarded.
One of the advantages of the long timespan of this story is that you get to see Legolas reunited with his wife twice!
Author's reply
Thank-you, FP
Thranduil is indeed a wise old Elf he is indeed. And besides, he has the good fortune that his subjects too have eyes and ears and intellects of their own, so they have drawn the same conclusions by just listening to the ailing forest ! ;-) Some will remain, others will be glad to sail in company rather than on their own... and accepting defeat under that light makes it all easier for them all, I suspect.
Bodkin
· 9 September 2006
· Chapter 10: What future brings
I am glad Celeborn is so encouraging! Even if time passes differently west of the sea, it must be a long wait - especially if you cannot be confident that your beloved will ever heed the call.
Yet it's not the same. The elves are hanging on desperately there in Lasgalen and trying to pretend that it's still their forest - but it's not, not really. Time had moved on and they are part of the past.
I hope Thranduil has clear enough sight to recognise that. I'm not counting on it, mind, but I do hope that he and his family will gather all those who will go and take them west. They need what Legolas has come to understand - and Celeborn has seen - that the west is home.
Fingers crossed.
Author's reply
Thank-you Bodkin!
Celeborn the Wise was wise enough to pay a visit to his stubborn colleague and make clear that Thranduil was winning that match!
You are right, all they can do there is wait and hope. The blessing of those lands, as I see it, would be that even in waiting there would be no despair but deep trust that all would turn out for the best, whatever the outcome, the blessed realm being, according to Tolkien, paradise to the elves.
It is difficult for us, but then, as Tolkien wrote, we cannot write tales *about* elves, for we do not know them inwardly, so we just turn them into Men.
Sigh. And we keep on trying, don't we? ;-)
French Pony
· 6 September 2006
· Chapter 10: What future brings
So it's down to a waiting game now. It is kind of too bad that the Straight Road is a one-way. All those Elves leave, and back home, it must look like they've just vanished, been swallowed up into the void. Of course, the ones who left realize that there really is a Blessed Realm out there, but they can't go back and reassure people of that.
And thus you get people like Laeriniel, who holds onto the forest as the last thing she has left of Legolas, even though he himself is but a boat ride away. But if she can't be certain of that, then that's a whole nother ball game.
Author's reply
is kind of too bad that the Straight Road is a one-way
Or else, all elves would have deserted M-e long ago...;-)
As I see it, sailing was a personal decision that came from within, deeper than a rational decision, and sea-longing was the prompt or expresion of a certain inner state. And the timing is so different for each person! Laerîniel thinks that Legolas somehow failed their forest, and that it is her duty to hold on to it for both of them, so she is refusing to see that Legolas was actually pointing the way, warning them that they were running out of their time. It will take her -them- some time to accept that...
Thank-you!
Nilmandra
· 6 September 2006
· Chapter 10: What future brings
I love that you worked the sea bird in!
I like the descriptions of what it felt like when the elves finally passed on to the straight road.. i have loved the imagery Tolkien gave us in Frodo's dream that it is like a veil lifting and they have sudden new sight. Very nicely done, and this must give hope to Legolas that others will come for love, too.
I cannot imagine that waiting, knowing that those still struggling, when there is not struggle worth staying for (in the sense of a job still to do, like destroy the ring), and yet they have not way to tell them. Somehow, this is a lesson one cannot learn from another's experience.
I can't wait for Legolas to be reunited with his wife and father.
Author's reply
Frodo's dream is such a good trick, isn't it? It happens so early in the tale, that I remember that I had to go back and re read it when I first realized what exactly he had dreamed about in Bombadil's house!
Somehow, this is a lesson one cannot learn from another's experience. or else, all elves would have desertedd M-e long ago! ;-) Since Tolkien said that Eressëa was elven paradise, I assumed that, once they made the step of sailing, the act of will, they were granted true "paradise": relieved of their burdens, no longer wearied but renewed, not bereft of their experiences and memories, but able to understand them and see their place within the great music, and so not being hurt by them. There would be longing for those who were in Mandos or still in M-e, but a hopeful, patient longing.
While, for those remaining, it would be a question of time and ability to accept their role and fate. An act of free will and hope in the end.
I can't wait for Legolas to be reunited with his wife and father He, he. I think they will be sailing sometime this week end. I cannot honestly do anything else for this tale.
Author Reply: Frodo's dream is such a good trick, isn't it? It happens so early in the tale, that I remember that I had to go back and re read it when I first realized what exactly he had dreamed about in Bombadil's house!
Somehow, this is a lesson one cannot learn from another's experience. or else, all elves would have desertedd M-e long ago! ;-) Since Tolkien said that Eressëa was elven paradise, I assumed that, once they made the step of sailing, the act of will, they were granted true "paradise": relieved of their burdens, no longer wearied but renewed, not bereft of their experiences and memories, but able to understand them and see their place within the great music, and so not being hurt by them. There would be longing for those who were in Mandos or still in M-e, but a hopeful, patient longing.
While, for those remaining, it would be a question of time and ability to accept their role and fate. An act of free will and hope in the end.
I can't wait for Legolas to be reunited with his wife and father He, he. I think they will be sailing sometime this week end. I cannot honestly do anything else for this tale.
daw the minstrel
· 6 September 2006
· Chapter 10: What future brings
Nice picture of Legolas's longing, Perelleth.
From a writerly point of view, the line that really caught my eye was this:
“I am glad to see you too, Aunt; you need not thank me for saving your hide, surrounded or not,” the prince smiled. “Can you explain to us what are you doing this south and on your own?” he added pleasantly. “This is a good one,” he told Thalaûr, showing him one of the axes.
I like the cross talk, the way he talks about two things at once. That's the way people really talk.
Author's reply
Thank-you daw.
It is really tiring, isn't it, finding out ways of conveying dialogue that are believable, and not too boring and all that. In this case I could picture the whole scene, so the conversation came out more natural...
Bodkin
· 28 August 2006
· Chapter 9: What's left behind
I suppose a century plus apart isn't much for elves ... but the division that caused it is sad. Legolas is suffering enough anyway! I'm glad Thranduil was able to help him - and that he was wise enough to let him take up this new challenge. But I do hope that Legolas's wife is drawn to join him in his journey west - he will need her very badly.
Aragorn's farewell was - just like the man he was! Dignified and gracious. Prestolon recognised it for what it was instantly, too. Harder for Legolas though.
And so elfy - to have the ship disappear without the men seeing it go. But all these separations are so hard!
Author's reply
Hi Bodkin! good to have you back!
I never thought that Legolas' lot at the end of the war was a particularly happy one. Leaving his forest and his family (whether he had a wife or not is not that relevant, I think, :-) spending a century in Ithilen seeing his mortal friends get old and die, and then leaving Middle-earth behind always seemed hard for a Wood elf to me. So, being how I am, I just tried to find sense...
Aragorn's farewell was - just like the man he was! now that's a great compliment. I love how he keeps his dignity when he says his farewells to Arwen, and I suppose that with his friends it must have been very difficult as well. An old tree indeed.
The poor harbourmaster did not want to trust his eyes!
Thank-you Bodkin!
Redheredh
· 20 August 2006
· Chapter 9: What's left behind
Oh my, that was good. A wonderful chapter in all its parts!
I liked the opening very much for recalling the family story-telling tradition from your other fic.
Thranduil's shrewd management of matters showed how noble and he truly wise he is. Love and honor do go hand-in-hand. He would not decide for Legolas, but free him to follow his own path. And keep the realm on an even keel all the same. No matter what his own sorrows be.
I am happy you eased Borgalas' spirit. And that you set poor Mallereg's up for future torment at the hands of Lendiell. ;)
I am not surprised that Laeriniel stayed behind, though. Their scene, realizing the loss they had already suffered, was so poignant. "mono-chord drumming" was such an apt comparison. I really like that paragraph.
Prostolon's visit was a great vehicle for that transitional moment in time. I loved what he had to say to Legolas and reveal to the reader by his presence.
But, Aragorn's farewell was so lovely and sad as well. I could easily believe he would handle his farewells like this.
Changing to a outside pov for the last segment was perfect. The melancholy we always feel at the disappearance of the elves could more easily be shared by the bewildered observations of other mortals.
"...unmatchable grace." I do hope that was Laeriniel! I choose to believe it was.
Lovely conclusion - with an epilogue to follow?
Author's reply
Thank-you, :-)
That the forest song would be enhanced through a couple's bond suddenly sounded a good idea to me, so the sea-longing would mean an actual loss for the one remaining, and would also hopefully act as a minor but constant encouragement to take ship some day... I find all that stuff about the sea-longing very interesting, and it came out even clearer when Prestolon explains how he felt after his wife left: deprived of his senses, like a secondborn, and oh so enraged. Those remaining must have felt deserted by their couples, who in turn were just guilty of answering a compulsion. Very, very hard for the Elves, I think, despite the promise of reunion!
I'm glad that you liked Aragorn's farewells. The advantages of being able to choose his timing, so he was free to give away some of his precious time to his friends.
A chapter and an epilogue, and we are there! ;-) Many many thanks again
elliska
· 20 August 2006
· Chapter 9: What's left behind
This was areally great chapter, Perelleth. Everyone's emotions came through so strongly. I loved Thranduil, of course. And I loved the scenes in Ithilien. Aragorn's farewell to Legolas was very well done. My favorite part was how you portrayed Legolas's departure through the eyes of the harbourmaster. And the last line of this was so sad.
Author's reply
Thank-you, elliska!
Thranduil is coping á la grande isn't he? *Managing* the situation, poor father.
But I am glad that you noted the scene with the harbourmaster. It came out quite unexpectedly, and I really liked seeing the departure of the elves from the pov of the seamen. Despite Arwen, and Legolas' presence in Ithilien, one cannot help wondering what elves were to the people of Gondor 120 years after the war of the ring, and what would they become in a few more years, nothing more that a memory or a legend.
Nilmandra
· 19 August 2006
· Chapter 9: What's left behind
This was a beautiful chapter, Perelleth, proving you do weariness and grief and 'ending well' as well as you do conflict. Thranduil's releasing his son was poignant, but more telling of this road of the sea-longing was that Legolas took the step to Ithilien alone. His wife was not ready, and yet he could not stay. It was really a first step towards the west. And go Thranduil! He made Legolas's going into a victory for them all, which is the sign of a true leader.
The way Aragorn came to say his farewells was well done, and fitting. He would not want his friends to see him dead, but to preserve a memory of him leaving of his own accord, aged yes, but still King.
I am very curious to know what the letters say.. and to know who sailed. That the elves left with the end of Aragorn's reign is very fitting, I think.
Author's reply
Thank-you!
You know that Legolas' fate never seemed a happy ending to me, so the point of this ridiculously long tale in the end was just pondering how his sea-longing may have affected those around him. Tolkien says that Lorien was soon silent and deserted after Galadriel's departure, but that the elves of Lasgalen lived on happily for many years...
I think that Aragorn must have been aware of how painful it would have been for his Legolas as all their friends died of old age, so a private moment between the two of them seemed appropriate to me, seen that he actually could choose his timing.
French Pony
· 18 August 2006
· Chapter 9: What's left behind
Thranduil has made the only decision he possibly can make. In the end, no matter what duties Legolas may have to his family and his people, he's still Thranduil's son, and Thranduil cannot make a decision that would hurt his child as much as refusing him permission to emigrate would do.
But I like that Legolas's wife doesn't go with him. It shows the sacrifices that they both had to make. Though they seem to have more or less come to terms with their separation, it can't be easy for either of them. But they are Elves, and any separation like that is temporary. That must be a great comfort, and it must make it easier for both of them to go off and do what they must do.
Author's reply
Thank-you, FP.
It always seemed to me that Legolas' lot at the end of the war was not an entirely happy one. So, somehow it meant that history had not come to an end with the arival of the new age, and that there must have been pain and sacrifice behind his decision, for he was not an outcast, solitary elf.
So yes, there is an inevitability here that Thrnaduil understands and does not shy from, much as LEgolas' wife, and which I believe means that, as Bilbo said, the road goes ever on, and the tale was not wholly ended with the fall of Sauron...
daw the minstrel
· 18 August 2006
· Chapter 9: What's left behind
What a mixture of hope and pain, loss and gain. People make their choices and then regret what they had to leave behind.
This was lovely, Perelleth. As always, Thranduil shone:
With the shrewdness that had seen him through countless trials in his long life, Thranduil had turned loss into gain, sorrow into promise, desertion into duty and despair into hope
Author's reply
Poor Thranduil! He surely foresaw a comfortable new age, and events contradicted him, but he would not let show.
This sea-longing thing seems like death in many ways: it hits unexpectedly, has to be faced on one's own, and there is nothing but hope for those remaining...
Thank you, daw, this story is oozing so painfully slowly that reviews are doubly appreciated!